New Restaurant & Bar Openings in London | October 2017

If you’re looking for the newest places in town to grab a bite to eat, look no further. As always there are some amazing new restaurant and bar openings in the Capital but we are particularly impressed by the wide variety of cuisines on offer this month. From a Bahrain inspired restaurant in Chelsea to a specialist ramen eatery in Southwark, you’ll find it hard not to try something new.

If you are interested in working for some of London’s finest new restaurant and bar openings, get in touch with us as we have some amazing job opportunities available.

Whether you are looking for a permanent job or some temporary work to earn extra cash before Christmas, we can help you find the right role. Submit your CV or call us on 02079236021 to discuss our available hospitality jobs in London.

New Year Predictions for the Hospitality Industry

Although we don’t have a crystal ball to help us see what the year ahead has install for us, we like to think that our ties within the hospitality industry gives us some kind of insight. Here is what we think you can expect.

Positives:

A weak pound balanced by a strong dollar will bring an influx of US tourists spurred by a desire to explore new horizons in the face of an unpopular Republican presidency.

Many more Britons will enjoy a “staycation” as a result of a weaker pound.

Economic growth – 2.1% increase in GDP forecast for 2017 faster than any other G7 nation – will boost morale and encourage the sector to invest in development.

The anticipated 5% rise in unemployment will create a talent pool for those willing to retrain for a career in hospitality.

The London restaurant scene will remain vibrant with even more options for the choosy diner.

Quality brands such as The Ivy Café and Grill will bring more high-end food to the high street, attracting more people to eat out again.

Brexit’s focus on all things British will prompt a renaissance in British food and ingredients. Restaurants and pubs will pioneer home produced, regional ingredients and more seasonality.

More restaurants will innovate for emerging food trends and menu diversity, in particular healthy eating, gourmet menus adapted to food intolerances and lifestyle preferences such as fine dining deliveries at home.

Negatives:

Restaurant closures will increase and the ratio of the number of restaurant openings to closures (currently 2.6:1) will edge closer to 2:1.

High street independents will struggle in the face of higher rents and rates, and will be targeted ever more strongly by branded chains.

Many tourists will avoid the UK on principle because of Brexit’s anti-immigration links.

A weaker Euro-zone will attract more tourists away from the UK.

A soft Brexit will allow some access to free movement and freedom of trade though this is unlikely to become clear until the end of the year leading to a year of political brinkmanship in Europe.

A rise in unemployment will decrease domestic purchasing power, which will hit budgets for going out for meals.

Wine prices will continue to rise and in the UK and could even double or triple as restaurants try to cope with continuing exchange rate fluctuations.

Food inflation predicted by food service companies at between 2% and 4% will drive up the cost of a meal out by at least 10%.

The UK has so far successfully weathered the Brexit blast and shown continued growth. We predict that this is likely to continue into 2017. There are likely to be many surprises as Britain enters the New Year, not only in terms of Brexit but also as the global economy adjusts with both a new direction in leadership from the US and other European countries anticipating potential fundamental changes in leadership.

From a recruitment perspective, we anticipate that the market will remain positive but difficult, with a shortage of talent in many key roles such as head chef jobs. While this would become much harder if there is to be a hard Brexit our prediction is that the government will steer a more moderate course, and that we will continue to see a strong influx of employees from the EU.

While 2017 will be governed by uncertainty, and there are many economic factors working against the hospitality sector, there are also several positive factors which will enable the industry overall to thrive.

Hospitality Recruitment Tips for The New Year

We don’t need to tell you that there is a huge shortage of talent within the hospitality industry, pretty much every publication you open these days will have some shocking statistic that showcases this shortfall. A common trend within the hospitality recruitment industry is to leave hiring needs to later in the year just before things really pick up for the spring and summer months. However this can be a tricky business, as for obvious reasons, the demand for staff in general increases and good talent then becomes in short supply.

To get ahead of the hiring curve in 2017 and ensure you secure the best talent, we encourage clients to think about hiring earlier in the year. Yes, it may mean you have to pay an extra month or two of wages but it will also mean you have an established team in place by the time things really get busy. It will also ensure that you have more candidates to choose from and are able to hire the right fit for your business ahead of your competitors. Of course this mainly applies to senior hires such as Head Chef jobs or General Manager jobs, as it is this level of talent that is very difficult to come by.

Another tip we’d like to offer those looking to hire hospitality staff in 2017 is to create a recruitment framework and share this with your chosen hospitality recruitment agency. This enables us to line up relevant talent for the months you plan to secure staff and ensure you get “first choice”.

We’d like to wish everyone a huge amount of success in 2017, may it be a very busy and exciting year for you all and we very much look forward to working with many of you again soon.

Interested in hiring hospitality staff in 2017?

For more information about hospitality recruitment in London or abroad, feel free to give us a call on 0044 (0)207 923 6021 or email us on info@thechangegroup.com. We will happily pop down to meet with you and your team and discuss your recruitment requirements for the New Year.

5 things to do for Halloween

As the scariest holiday of the year approaches, we’ve rustled up a list of the best things to do in London this Halloween. Whether you’re a tricker or a treater there’s sure to be something that’ll tickle your fancy.

Visit London Dungeons – so often as Londoners, we fail to actually do any of the touristy activities that so many travel from far and wide to do. Having recently been refurbished, there is no scary place to visit this Halloween than London Dungeons.

Take a ghost walk – for all you Ghostbuster fans, now is your chance to take a tour of London’s most spooky places.

Stay home and stock up on sweets– as Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, no doubt there will be lots of kids trick or treating so make sure you pop a pumpkin near your front door so they know you are open for business!

Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens Fire Festival – “The Legend of the Trickster God Loki and the Dark Elves” is the story of how Thor got his hammer. It combines art, dance, music and pyrotechnics to tell the story in front of the famous Vauxhall Bonfire.

Or perhaps you can’t be asked to do anything this Halloween and instead you want to spend the weekend updating your CV and looking for a new job? If this is the case, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with Change hospitality recruitment agency in London, we are always looking to speak to talented people who are looking for Hospitality jobs or jobs in the Luxury sector.

101 restaurants in London you HAVE to try

For all the foodies out there, we’ve compiled a list of our favourite restaurants in London. We’ve included everything from Michelin Star restaurants, chef tables and fine dining to our favourite local bistros and corner cafes.

If you’re sitting there scratching your head pondering why we made a list of 101 restaurants rather than a nice round number, don’t over-think it! The truth is we battled to cap it at 101 because let’s be fair, London’s culinary offering is so vastly exceptional. But hey, we had to draw the line somewhere so we’ve settled on the list below. Perhaps in a few months’ time we’ll compile a new list to keep you updated, as there are new restaurant openings popping up all over the Capital every month.

For those who love to try new places, prepare to be wowed by those in chef jobs at these amazing eateries. And if you’re anything like us, you’ll be copying and pasting this list onto your notes app, ready for the next time you need dining inspiration.

So without further ado and in alphabetical order (we couldn’t possibly pick a favourite)…

10 Greek Street

40 Maltby Street

A Wong

Amaya

Ametsa by Arzak Instruction

Antico Restaurant

Antidote

Balls & Company

Bao

Bar Boulud

Barrafina

Marcus at the Berkeley Hotel

Berners Tavern

Brawn

Ceviche

Chiltern Firehouse

Chutney Mary

City Social

Clarke’s

Copita

Coya

Dabbous

Dean Street Townhouse

Dinings

Dinner by Heston Blumenthal

Dishoom King’s Cross

Duck & Waffle

Dysart Arms

Elliot’s

Ember Yard

Fera at Claridge’s

Fischer’s

Five Fields

Galvin at Windows

Grainstore

Gymkhana

Hakkasan Mayfair

Harwood Arms

Hawksmoor Air Street

Hedone

Hibiscus

Honey & Co

J Sheekey

Kitchen Table at Bubbledogs

Kitty Fisher’s

Koffmanns

La Trompette

Lardo

Le Gavroche

Little Social

Lyle’s

Mac & Wild

Marianne

MEATLiquor

Medlar

Momo

Murano

Naughty Piglets

Oldroyd

Ottolenghi

Otto’s

Palomar

Pidgin

Pitt Cue

Pizarro

Pollen Street Social

Polpo

Portland

Providores and the Tapa Room

Quo Vadis

Restaurant Gordon Ramsay

Restaurant Story

Rochelle Canteen

Roka

Scott’s

Shoe Shop

Sketch

Snaps & Rye

Social Eating House

St John

Sushi Tetsu

Taberna Do Mercado

Terroirs

Texture

The Dairy

The Ledbury

The Manor

The Modern Pantry

The Orange

The Palomar

The Quality Chop House

The Richmond

The River Café

The Shed

The Square

The Typing Room

The Wolseley

Wild Honey

Yashin Sushi

Yauatcha

Zucca

What’s your number? Tweet us @Changehsp and tell us how many of the restaurants on our list you’ve been too?

Equally, if you think there’s a particularly special restaurant we’ve left off the list, please let us know!

The Change Group is a luxury support and hospitality recruitment agency in London. If you are currently looking for a chef job or a front of house job in London, get in touch with us. We have a number of fantastic hospitality jobs available, many of which are working at restaurants like the ones listed.

New Openings June 2015

If there’s one thing London offers us, its choice when it comes to eating out. Each month we see countless new restaurants and bars opening up and we thought you might like some help deciphering which are “must tries”.

Tapas

LOBOS Meat & Tapas BarWho holds the Head Chef job: Roberto CastroWhat to except: Lobos, the Spanish word for wolves, will leave you howling with delight from the prime cuts of Iberico pig on offer.Vibe: A moody cave offering casual dining and fresh produce thanks to its proximity to Borough Market.

Chicken

WingsEggsWho holds the Head Chef job: JP TantiWhat to except: Any type of egg served any kind of way, and if eggs aren’t your thing, their experimental chicken wings are sure to tantalize your taste buds.Vibe: Many a joke about what came first, the chicken or the egg.

British Fair

Balans Kensington High StreetWhat to except: Indulgence is the name of the game.Vibe: Quirky décor (there’s a tree in the middle of the back dining room) with brasserie style British dishes.

Meatballs

Balls & CompanyWho hold the Head Chef job: Bonny PorterWhat to expect: Meatballs, meatballs and more meatballs!Vibe: Sharing plates in Soho made from only the very best ingredients.

Seafood

BouillabaisseWho holds the Executive Chef job: Jordan SclareWhat to except: Exceptional seafood with a focus on sustainability.Vibe: Seafood tanks and a menu full of coastal charm.

Eggs

Egg BreakWho holds the Executive Chef job: we’re not entirely sure just yetWhat to except: details are few and far between but we hear eggs and baps will be a main feature on the menu.Vibe: We presume it’ll reflect a similar style to Hubbard & Bell and Chicken Shop in the Holborn Hoxton Hotel as Ennismore and Soho House have once again joined forces.

Italian

Café MuranoWho holds the Head Chef job: Richard LloydWhat to except: An all Italian restaurant, food, wine and décor!Vibe: Based in Covent Garden, this will be a popular spot for theatre-goers and tourists passing by, as well as, London foodies.

What makes a great restaurant? Some say the décor, the ambiance or the location but for us it’s all about those in hospitality jobs. With so much choice of places to eat out in London, finding the right people to fill your restaurant’s chef jobs could be the difference between being a good restaurant and being a great one.

If you are interested in speaking to Change about Hospitality Recruitment in London, please get in touch. We cover the following hospitality jobs in London: